Chapter 151
"Whatever? I didn't mean whatever."
"Aren't you right here right now...!"
"I'm only changing clothes in front of you, Miss Ashe." Chen Ce's voice carried a gentle smile, and the sounds of him taking off his clothes continued.
"This is your 'privilege' -- and also our little secret."
"...!!" Ashe's face turned even redder.
"Actually, I wouldn't even mind if you looked," Chen Ce added. "If it were you... I would be very happy."
"W-What...?! No way...!!"
Ashe shook her head vigorously, her tone of refusal firm.
He had an air of righteous indignation.
Well, it would be even better if she didn't secretly open one eye.
Through her fingers, she saw... Chen Ce's bare upper body... his well-defined muscles... his beautiful lines...
As well as...
Those two well-defined pectoral muscles and the...
Of...
This... this...!
Whoosh—the sound of the clothes being pulled down was very loud.
Now Ashe can't see anything.
She suddenly felt a sense of relief... but more than that, she felt regret.
Since we've already seen it all... let's see a little more!
"Alright, Miss Ashe," Chen Ce chuckled, "You can open your eyes now."
"Hmm..." Ashe slowly moved her hand away, pretending to have just opened her eyes. "Next time... don't do that again... it's dangerous... changing clothes in front of women and stuff like that..."
"Doesn't Miss Ashe like watching it?"
"Of course I like it—" Ashe started to say but then realized something was wrong and quickly changed her words, "What do you mean by 'like' or 'dislike'...! This is... this is... me... you understand...!"
"I understand." Chen Ce smiled again.
Then I checked the interaction level.
[Hero [Ashe, the Frost Archer] Seductive Desire +3, Current Interaction Level 43!]
Hmm... not bad, not bad.
It's quite convenient to increase interaction levels in Freljord.
"Put on your coat..." Ashe pretended to be calm as she looked at the handsome young man in front of her. Even in just a basic shirt, his figure was still quite defined—she liked looking at that.
But she didn't want other women to see it.
"You're only wearing this... it's too revealing..."
"Of course." Chen Ce smiled and put on his coat. "Like I just said... there are some things only you can see. That's your privilege."
"What are you saying... really..." Ashe looked away, embarrassed.
A moment later, she suddenly asked, "By the way, did you have a nightmare last night?"
"Nightmare?" Chen Ce didn't quite understand.
"Yes, you've been frowning all morning, and your hands were fidgeting a bit...it looked like you were having a nightmare." As Ashe said this, she quietly adjusted her clothes.
Hmm... she got caught in the crossfire this morning when the other person was moving around a bit...
But... it's not painful...
You could even say it's quite comfortable...
"Nightmare..." Chen Ce scratched his head, but couldn't remember anything for the moment.
All he remembered was... that he seemed to be having a dream...
The contents of the dream... I can't remember...
It looks like... um... a woman?
A tall, beautiful woman... her voice sounded very gentle...
She said... she said...
"Be careful... the bear-man?" Chen Ce blinked in confusion. "That's the only thing I remember from that nightmare."
"Bearmen? Oh, you dreamt about the Ursine, didn't you?" Ashe's expression suddenly dawned on her. "That makes sense—those bearmen are terrifying beings; if you dreamt about them, it would naturally be a nightmare. Perhaps you dreamt of fighting them."
"Hmm... maybe." Chen Ce still felt that something was a little off.
Before he could think it through, the beautiful silver-haired girl in front of him took the initiative to hug him.
"It's okay, it was just a nightmare." Ashe gently hugged him, as if comforting a frightened little boy. "I'll stay with you, it's alright."
"Hmm..." Chen Ce was still a little unaccustomed to this feeling of "gender swapping" for a while.
But... it's not painful.
Fine.
At least... I can feel those two warm, soft mounds...
This is probably what they call "sticking together," right?
That feel... milky scent... um...
"Let's go find Sejuani." After hugging for a while, Ashe reluctantly let go—it was so comfortable to hug such a handsome and adorable young man...
"We need to go and discuss with her the relocation and alliance of the Winter's Claw Tribe."
"Mm." Chen Ce nodded and prepared to leave the room, holding the girl's hand.
But the instant he stepped out of the room, he seemed to see something inside...
A snowflake? A blue snowflake...
That dream...
That woman... had long, silvery-white hair...
Dream...
Dream Thief...
Lissandra the Dream Thief...?
It's somewhat similar... but...
No... that can't be... Lissandra's voice isn't that gentle. She always speaks to others with a queenly air, saying things like "Submit to me" and "I command you"...
Strangeness...
Chapter Thirty-Two: You must be the infamous Bear, right?
There is no doubt that the Winter's Claw Tribe has undergone unprecedented changes in just two days.
With Kalkia fallen, all the Frost Priests in the tribe have been imprisoned by Chen Ce, and there will be no more obstacles after the new Warmother Sejuani takes the throne.
After becoming the Warmother, she only did three things—
Migration, migration, it's still the migration of the Tower Cat!
After many years, the Warmother of the Winter's Claw Tribe has decided to sign an alliance agreement with the Warmother of the Avarosan Tribe.
The agreement was originally signed by Sejuani's grandmother and Ashe's mother, and now this bond has come to belong to these two younger generations.
To be honest, Sejuani still can't fully agree with Ashe's philosophy—she always believes that Hearthblood who are not helpful to the tribe should be abandoned—or at most, given only the bare minimum of supplies, and that too much should not be wasted on them.
Why should someone who has made no contribution enjoy the same rights as others?
She thought Ashe was too kind... too kind to the point of being foolish.
No, it's utterly foolish.
Useless kindness will only lead the tribe into a predicament.
Ashe explained that while the Hearthblood lacked combat abilities, they were not significantly different from the Iceborn in farming, herding, and construction, and were even more talented in these areas. Therefore, they should not be abandoned. No one is born strong; the Iceborn's ancestors were also Hearthblood, and the tribe should give them a chance.
There's another explanation for this... it's the hope that all Freljord will unite, then there will be no tribal wars, and if everyone is self-sufficient, there won't be any severe food shortages.
At that time, the Hearthblood will work internally, and the Iceborn warriors will defend externally. Everyone will have their own role to play, everyone will contribute, and everyone will be a part of Freljord. This is the best outcome.
Sejuani acknowledged this statement—or rather, this hypothesis—but did not agree with it.
Because it's too idealistic, it's practically... a non-existent utopia.
Rather than uniting the entire Freljord, she wanted her own tribe to become powerful—even if Ashe's vision came true, she wanted to divide Freljord into different ranks, and her Winter's Claw would naturally be in the first rank—the highest positions should be held by the most capable, this was essential and the most basic principle.
Everyone is equal... There's no funnier joke than that.
Ending internal strife and achieving unity—let whoever has the time and energy for that do it.
Let Ashe do what she wants.
"Meaningless fantasy..."
After signing the last document, Sejuani strode out of the Warmother Hall of the Winter's Claw Tribe.
Outside the gate, hundreds of clansmen bowed their heads and waited.
"Now, as the Warmother of Winter's Claw, I formally declare— the Winter's Claw Tribe is allied with the Avarosan Tribe!"
"From this day forward, the Avarosa people are our sisters! Our brothers! Our strongest support!"
"No one is allowed to attack the Avarosan Tribe under any pretext! All public disputes are strictly prohibited!"
"If you have any objections, come to me personally!"
"Now, march south!"
After a brief but powerful speech, hundreds of Winter's Claw members stood up simultaneously.
They had heard the news of the tribe's impending migration long ago, and had prepared their belongings well in advance.
Everyone is ready to depart at any time.
"Ashe, is there anything you want to say?" Sejuani walked straight to Ashe after descending from the platform.
"No," she replied with a smile. "I'm glad you did, Sejuani."
"Perhaps it was an accident." Sejuani shrugged, then smiled at the other person. "But it was a beautiful accident, wasn't it?"
"This is what I've been hoping for for so long..." Ashe warmly grasped Sejuani's hand—her former best friend.
Maybe... we can always be good sisters.
She never held a grudge against him.
Even though Sejuani said some very hurtful things to her when they broke up... and almost hit her, she never felt that Sejuani was unforgivable.
Sejuani has her own reasons, and she will never consider Sejuani an enemy.
"I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to persuade those old folks in the clan...you know, they're as stubborn as frozen rocks." Sejuani laughed heartily and patted Ashe on the shoulder.
Although she still couldn't accept Ashe's way of thinking, it didn't stop her from considering her a good friend.
Just like... just like it used to be.
On countless cold nights, she and Ashe huddled around the campfire, dreaming of a bright future, and fell asleep peacefully to the sounds of the adults' chatter and the crackling of the firewood...
"I never imagined we'd all end up as Warmother," Ashe with some emotion. "Maybe this isn't good news... but it's not bad either."
"Yes, it's not bad." Sejuani hugged him tightly.
At this moment, the two tribes truly reconciled.
Even if the Winter's Claw Tribe will never accept the Avarosan Tribe's ways... even if they can never truly stand together...
But that's enough.
After the embrace, the two girls, each harboring their own secrets, looked at their tribesmen who were preparing to migrate.